Always
by 7th Heaven
Summary: Abby has something to tell Luka that could change the fate of their relationship forever.
1. One Cold Night

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ER or the characters. They are property of NBC and Michael Crichton.

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Always

_**Chapter 1 **_

The limb body lay flat against the table. The figure's eyes would not budge from their place beneath the lids. The hairs on the chest were motionless as he laid there, his chest wide open and his heart not beating. The guy had come in complaining of sharp pains in his chest. At first they had figured it to be the normal heartburn case but it quickly escalated into a much more serious situation; one minute the guy was gasping rapidly for breath and the next he was in cardiac arrest.

"Charge the paddles to two hundred," Neela said.

"Clear." Neela watched in frustration, as she shocked the heart again. It had been twenty minutes and still nothing.

"Do you think we should call it?"

"Stop," Abby said. "Time of death…" Something inside of Luka told him that they could save this patient if they just gave it one more try.

"Wait. Let's try one last time."

"He's been down for twenty minutes," Abby argued.

"I still think he has a chance." Luka said.

"Charge paddles to three hundred."

"Clear." Luka placed the paddles against both sides of the guy's heart, praying that it would regain rhythm. Within minutes, the straight line on the heart monitor came to life.

"He's back." Luka looked down at his gloves. The manila color peeked through the blood that covered them.

"Nice save," Neela said.

Luka struggled as the latex stuck to his hand. Once he was able to pull the gloves free, he tossed them into a nearby waste basket.

"You got it from here Neela?"

"Yeah, I'll go let the family know that they are taking him up to the OR now."

With that, Luka returned to the board to cross off the patient's name. Abby walked up behind him. "Nice save in there."

"Just doing my job," Luka snickered.

Abby reached over and grabbed a chart.

"Hey, I'm off in twenty minutes, would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something?"

"Sure, that would be great."

Abby studied the chart of her next patient; six years old. He was brought in by his mother. She approached the curtain and pulled it open.

"Hi, what's your name?" Abby asked the boy sweetly.

"Benjamin," the mother answered. "I brought him here because he has been having trouble catching his breath. I think he might have pneumonia. "

"Okay, Benjamin, I'm going to take your temperature with this thing." Abby held up the thermometer so that the boy could see it.

"It won't hurt, I promise." She smiled at the boy. Abby proceeded to lift the thermometer to the boy's ear. He screamed and Abby instantly pulled away.

"Benjamin honey, please let the nice doctor take your temperature," his mother cooed as she tried to hold him still.

"Okay, ready?" Abby asked, as she once again lifted the thermometer to the little boy's ear. This time the child did not resist.

"He is running a little bit of a fever," Abby said as she wrote 101.2 on the chart. "Let me check his breathing and then I can see what we can do."

Abby lifted the black stethoscope that hung around her neck and applied it to the boy's chest. Next, she moved to his back.

"Can you take nice deep breaths for me sweetie?" The boy obeyed.

"His breath sounds are slightly raspy and labored." Abby recorded the information on the boy's chart.

"I am going to order some x-rays of his lungs and then we will be able to determine if we need to admit him or not."

"Okay, thank you," the mother said.

"You're welcome. You did the right thing bringing him here," Abby said.

Abby returned to the admit desk where she spotted Morris. She leaned against the counter.

"Morris, I have a little boy in exam three. His mother brought him in. He may be showing signs of possible pneumonia." Abby passed the chart off to him.

Morris gave her a puzzled look. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Finish the case. The boy's running a temp of 101.2 and his breathing is raspy and labored. I need you to call radiology and order a chest x-ray."

"But Abby, he's your patient. Why can't you do it?" Morris asked.

"Sorry, my shift's over." Abby walked into the doctor's lounge and retrieved her coat from her locker.

"Are you ready to go?" Abby looked up to see Luka.

"Yeah." Abby wrapped her scarf around her neck.

The December air was cold as they walked out into ambulance bay towards the busy streets of downtown Chicago.

Abby shivered. "It's freezing out here."

"I hate December."

"With it being this cold out, it makes working more bearable, at least then we're indoors."

Luka laughed. "True."

Abby sighed as she stopped and faced Luka.

"Luka there's something that I need to tell you." Her eyes not meeting his.

"Another weird patient come into the ER today?" Luka joked.

"No," Abby smiled, looking up at him.

"What is it then?" Luka asked. His demeanor was more concerned now. He looked deep into Abby's eyes and she tried to figure out what was bothering her.

"Luka, I'm pregnant!" Abby blurted out.

Luka just stood there, unable to utter a word. _A baby? His baby?_

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**_A_****_uthors Note: _**When reviewing, please NO SWEARING or FOUL LANGUAGE. Constructive criticism is welcome but keep it clean.


	2. Begging Questions

_**Chapter 2 **_

Abby and Luka walked up the steps to Abby's apartment. Abby started fumbling with her purse, searching for her keys.

"Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow."

Neither of them had said a word since Abby had told Luka that she was pregnant.

Luka cupped Abby's face in his hands, looking sincerely into her eyes.

"I love you." He could see tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"If you need anything, call."

With that, Luka started towards his place, but not before looking back once more.

Abby placed the keys in the door and unlocked it. She walked inside her apartment and flicked on the light. Abby throw her coat and flopped down on the couch. She was exhausted. She buried her head in her hands and let herself cry harder.

Abby was not sure that she had the courage to do it again. When she was married to Richard she had discovered that she was pregnant and he had left her. She decided that she was not ready to be a single mother and had an abortion. Was she strong enough to take care of someone else? Was she strong enough to be a mother? All of these questions raced through Abby's mind. She flipped on the television in hopes of a distraction. After a while, her eyes became heavy. Abby didn't fight the feeling; instead she allowed her eyes to close beneath their lids.

A few hours later, Abby was awoken by a load pounding on the door. She groaned. The light from the television was illuminating her face. She sat up and checked the time on the VCR. It read 2:30 AM. Who the hell wanted her at this hour? The load pounding came again.

"I'm coming!" Abby walked over to the door and undid the lock and swung the door open. There stood Luka.

Abby let out a load yawn. "Luka, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry that I woke you. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Abby ushered him inside and took a seat on the couch and turned off the television. Luka joined her. Looking into her eyes, he took her hands in his.

"What's going on? You're scaring me."

"Abby, I'm sorry about the way I acted last night. That wasn't how I wanted this to happen. I never should have run away from you like that. Instead, I should have been there to comfort you."

"Luka…"

"I know that you're scared. I know that you must be feeling insecure and unsure about the whole situation. But I'm here now so please tell me what you're thinking."

Abby sighed. "I don't know if I can do this again."

Luka stroked the side of Abby's cheek.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that having this baby will complicate our relationship and I'm comfortable where we are…I don't want to lose this Luka."

"Abby…I'm not Richard. Whether you decide to have this baby or not, I will never leave you."

"What if I'm not meant to be a mother? Maggie wasn't exactly the greatest example."

"You're going to make a great mother," Luka told Abby, looking deep into her eyes.

"How can you be sure?"

"It's in your heart Abby. I see you interact with children that come into the ER everyday and you are so gentle. You make them smile and you take care of them like they are your own. It takes someone special to do that."

Abby stared down at her hands. "What if the baby is bipolar?"

"We will cross that bridge when and if we have to. You can't let it bother you."

Luka took hold of Abby's hands. Abby looked up at him.

"We are in this together. I will help you get through this."

"Are you sure I'm the one you want to be with?"

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about my children and my wife. But they are my past Abby. My future is with you. I moved here thinking that I could start over. At first I thought that all I was doing was running away from my problems…and it took me until now to realize that I was wrong. I wasn't running away from anything…I was running to you."

"Are you sure this is what you want? "Are you sure you want to have children again?

"Abby…"

Luka stroked Abby's cheek again. She leaned forward and lightly kissed his arm.

"I want to be with you. I want us to be a family. It has taken us so long to get were we are and I don't want this one decision to ruin everything. I know that it has to be your decision but, baby or no baby, I'm never going to let go of what we have."

Luka leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Abby's.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.


	3. Breakfast and Doubts

_**Chapter 3**_

Abby squinted as the morning sun beamed through. She rolled over and saw Luka lying next to her. She couldn't remember how she had ended up in bed with him. The only thing that she remembered was that he had come pounding on her door at 2:30 in the morning and waking her up. She knew that there was something else and tried to think of what it was then, it hit her…they had had a long talk that night about the baby.

"Good Morning." Luka stroked his fingers through her long brown hair.

"Good Morning."

The sun lined the features of her face. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look this morning?"

Abby smiled. "Luka, thanks for coming over."

"No problem."

They stared into each others eyes for a few moments until Abby broke the silence.

"What time is it?

Luka rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand.

"6:30."

Abby groaned. "I'm on in two hours."

"Would you like some breakfast?"

Abby laughed. "You're going to make me breakfast?"

"I'm a good cook. I'll make you whatever you want; bacon, eggs, toast."

"Bacon and eggs sound good."

"Then bacon and eggs it is." Luka got out of bed.

"What about work? What time are you on?"

"I'm not on until ten."

Abby yawned. She didn't want to get out of bed but she knew that she had to go in or Carrie would kill her.

"Why don't you go take a hot shower, it will make you feel better," Luka urged.

Abby couldn't resist that offer, a hot shower did sound really appealing. Luka walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the refrigerator for the eggs and bacon. Abby walked into the bathroom and slipped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower. She turned on the water, and breathed in the warmth that overtook her body; she was completely relaxed…so relaxed in fact that she wished she could stay like that forever and never have to go in to work. The smell of Luka cooking in the kitchen snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her. She walked to the closet and pulled out a simple white shirt and her scrubs and put them on. The aroma in the kitchen was becoming stronger now, the smell of bacon and eggs becoming more distinct. She smiled at the sight of Luka as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her chin in the crook of his neck.

"I told you I could cook," Luka said defensively.

"You know you look really hot in an apron," Abby chuckled.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

Luka placed the eggs and bacon on a plate while Abby let go of him and made her way to the table. Luka put the plateful of food in front of her and joined her across the table. Abby hesitated as she lifted the fork to her mouth and took a bit.

"Luka, thank you. This is delicious."

"So _I am _a good cook," Luka teased.

Abby stabbed some eggs onto the end of her fork and raised it up.

"Don't make me do this." Abby was armed and ready to fire.

Luka laughed. "You wouldn't dare."

Abby pulled the end of the fork back and released. The eggs flow and landed on Luka's shirt. Both Luka and Abby burst out laughing but soon things began to settle down and Luka suddenly grow serious.

"What?" Abby questioned.

"Abby, we need to be serious and talk about this." She knew that he was right, they did need to talk about it but Abby wasn't sure what she was going to say.

She sighed. "I know."

Luka reached across the table and offered his hand, she gladly accepted it.

"Have you made a decision yet?"

"I don't know…"

"I love you Abby."

"I love you too but, that doesn't mean that having this baby is the right thing."

"Abby…"

"I'm scared."

Luka gave Abby's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am too, but we are in this together…I promise."

Abby ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"What are we to each other anyway? Are we really in the correct place to raise a baby? It's a big responsibility."

"We've been friends for a long time…good friends."

"Yeah."

"We've been through a lot together."

"That doesn't make this right."

Luka sighed. He could not express how much he wanted this...how much he wanted Abby.

"Listen, I know that you are scared but I want this. I want to raise a family with you."

"I just need some time…" Abby said as she put her plate in the dishwasher. Luka walked up beside her and she turned around. He wrapped his arm around her neck and leaned in to kiss her.

"I understand…whatever you want."

"Luka, thank you…for everything."

Abby could feel the beating of Luka's heart against his chest as he held her close. Suddenly, in that moment, all her worries and insecurities seemed to melt away.


	4. Life in the Balance

_**Chapter 4**_

A few days later, the sound of an ambulance coming into the bay could be heard as Abby walked across the street towards the ER. Neela and Morris rushed out to the ambulance.

"What do we have?" Morris asked, as the ambulance doors swung open.

"MVA, Sarah Bennet. 26 weeks pregnant, in labor and fully dilated."

"Abby, we could use a hand over here," Morris said as they wheeled the women into the ER. Abby griped the side of the handrail to the gurney.

"What are her vitals?

"BP is 120/40. Contractions three to four minutes apart."

They wheeled the gurney into the trauma room and took charge.

"I'll get a fetal heat monitor and start a bag of saline," Sam said.

Meanwhile, Abby started to work on the patient.

"Mrs. Bennet, I'm Doctor Lockhart, do you know what happened?" Abby checked the dilation of her pupils.

"Pupils are dilated. She must have hit her head on something. She is going to need a head CT."

"Where is my husband?" the women asked.

"I am sure they're taking good care of him. Do you know where you are?"

The women mumbled something incoherently.

"She's altered. We're defiantly going to need that head CT."

Just then, Sam walked in with a fetal heart monitor and started to strap it to the women's large stomach. The women pushed her hands away.

"What are you doing?"

"Mrs. Bennet, we need to monitor your baby's heart rate." Sam strapped the band to the women. Within minutes, there was a reading of the baby's heart rate.

"What is the heart rate?"

"In the 130's and dropping." Panic showed on Abby's face as she moved to the end of the bed and lifted the sheet. She was surprised to find that the baby's head was already crowning.

"The baby's crowning." Abby said as she positioned herself to deliver the baby. She looked up at the patient. "Mrs. Bennet, the baby is crowning. I need you to take a deep breathe in and push for me."

"No, not yet. I don't have the IV in yet." Sam chimed in.

"Sam, there is no time for that right now. We need to deliver this baby."

Abby looked up at the patient again. "Mrs. Bennet, I need you to take a deep breathe in and push." With that, the patient drew in a deep breath and pushed as Abby counted to ten. Abby watched in awe as the baby's small head slipped into her hands. Sam handed Abby a bulb to clear the baby's airway.

"Sam, can you find Luka? Tell him that we have a twenty-six week birth and that we need help."

"Sure. Should I also tell him to get a baby warmer from the NICU?"

"Yes." With that, Sam rushed to try and find Luka while Abby focused her attention back on the patient.

"Mrs. Bennett, I need you to push again," Abby bit her lip as more of the baby slipped into her hand. She knew from her years as an OB nurse that it didn't take a lot of time to deliver a baby of this size and she knew that Luka needed to get there quickly. As if on queue, Luka rushed through the doors of the trauma room.

"What can I do?"

"I am about to deliver this baby, I need you to check the baby over and then take the baby up to NICU."

"Sam, can you page the NICU and tell them that we have twenty-six weeker on the way up?"

"Sure," Sam responded as Abby turned her attention back to the patient.

"Mrs. Bennett, I need you to give me a little push so that I can deliver the rest of the baby." With that, the patient drew in a deep breathe and pushed as the rest of the baby slipped into Abby's hands. Knowing that every minute was vital in a situation like this, Abby swiftly handed the baby over to Luka so that he could asses its health. Moments later, Luka announced that the baby's breathing was shallow and that the AGAR was a three. Abby bit her lip, she knew that a three meant that the baby was in grave condition and needed treatment soon. Luka pushed the baby over towards Mrs. Bennett's bedside. She turned her head the opposite direction.

"Mrs. Bennett, would you like to see your son?" Luka asked.

"Where is my husband?" Abby lightly placed her hand on the patient's shoulder. In the mist of the whole situation, they had forgotten about the women's husband.

"I am sure that your husband is fine. I could check for you if you want."

"I would like that." Abby looked over at Sam and she immediately understood. She quietly left to go in search of information concerning the women's husband.

After the baby was checked over and sent up to the NICU, Abby returned to the desk to retrieve the chart of her next patient. She studied the chart; a thirteen year old girl who was presenting with signs of the flu. She approached the curtain and pulled it open.

"Hi, I am Doctor Lockhart, what's your name?"

"What do you care," the girl snapped back. Abby ignored the comment.

"Okay, then. What seems to be the problem?"

"I think I might be pregnant." Abby didn't see that one coming. She pulled up a stool and sat beside the girl.

"I am scared to tell my parents. If they found out they would kill me."

"First let's find out if you are really pregnant. In order to find that out I need to take a urine sample." Abby handed the girl the cup. The girl uneasily slid down from the exam table.

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right." Abby held her breath as the girl exited the room. What if they had a daughter and she turned out to be some rebellious teenager who became pregnant at the age of thirteen. Abby was startled out of thought when the girl came in and handed her the cup.

"I'll get this to the lab and then I'll be back with the results," Abby said as she left the room.

"Sam, can you make sure that this gets to the lab?" Abby asked as she handed Sam a bag containing the urine sample.

"Sure."

"Did you find anything out about the husband of the women who had the twenty-six weeker?"

Sam looked up from the chart she was studying. "He came in with a crushed spleen. They took him up to the OR a little while ago. No report yet as to how the surgery is going though."

"Okay, thanks." Abby said, as turned on her heals towards the doctor's lounge. Abby was relieved to see that there was still some coffee left. She went over and poured herself a cup along with adding sugar and cream. Luka quietly walked up beside her.

"Hi. Hard day?"

"Does the coffee give it away?" Abby teased.

Luka laughed.

"I just dealt with a thirteen year old patient who thinks she's pregnant. She's scared to tell her parents." Abby explained as she took a seat. Luka joined her across the table.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, any word on the condition of the baby you took up to the NICU?"

"He's doing okay for now but there's no guarantee."

Luka let out a long sigh. "I just hope that if he does survive, he has a place to go. The mother didn't seem like she wanted anything to do with the baby."

"Yeah, hopefully the mother will come around. We did our jobs, now it's up to the mother to do hers."


End file.
